Clinical Supervisor Evaluations by Students: Improving Quality and Utility for Educators.

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Healthcare Professional Development

Background:

• Limited guidance exists for students evaluating clinical supervisors.
• Student evaluations may lack focus on teaching skills or contain bias.
• Existing literature highlights attributes of excellent clinical teachers.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a model for students to write effective narrative evaluations of clinical supervisors.
• To guide students in providing constructive and unbiased feedback.
• To enhance clinical teaching development through structured evaluations.

Main Methods:

• Developed the PEARLS+ model based on literature about effective clinical teachers.
• The model prompts feedback on specific teaching attributes.
• Includes a section for constructive commentary on supervisor development.

Main Results:

• The PEARLS+ model provides a structured framework for supervisor evaluations.
• It encourages feedback on key teaching areas: learning environment, expertise, enthusiasm, expectations, supervision, role modeling, listening, and feedback.
• Facilitates identification of supervisor strengths and weaknesses.

Conclusions:

• The PEARLS+ model can improve the quality and focus of student evaluations of clinical supervisors.
• Implementation can contribute significantly to clinical teaching development.
• Structured feedback aids supervisors and institutions in targeted improvement efforts.